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(\/M  V  W  TvM  ^  ^  ^  AJl  Aw 


SOUVENIR  BOOKLET  PRESENTED  BY 
THE  UNITED  LIGHT  &  RAILWAYS 
COMPANY  ON  THE  OCCASION  OF 
THE  PUBLIC  OPENING  OF  THE 
Rn'ERSIDE     POWER     STATION 


I 


Forty  Years  of  Development 


W- 


HAVE  electricity  all  about 
It  has  becomt'  a  part  of  hu- 
man existence  in  this  community. 
We  take  it  for  Ki'anted.  Vet,  imajiine 
how  ^reat  a  calamity  it  would  be  if  we 
were  suddenly  obliued  to  be  without 
electricity.  It  would  paralyze  govern- 
ment, commerce  and  industry;  it 
would  throw  our  homes,  streets  and 
stores  into  gloom  and  darkness;  our 
home  life  would  be  disruj)ted  by  con- 
fusion, annoyance  and  discomfort. 

Electricity,  as  common  a  thing  as 
water  and  almost  as  inexpensive,  is 
only  a  little  over  forty  years  old  in  the 
Tri-Cities.  The  story  of  electrical  de- 
\elopment  covers  a  period  considerably 
shorter  than  one  man's  life  and  most  (jf 
the  pioneers  are  living  who  saw  and 
made  the  beginning  of  electric  service 
in  the  Tri-Cities. 

Forty  years  ago,  electricity  was  an 
experiment  a  subject  of  much  ridi- 
cule and  doubt.  Today,  this  booklet 
is  presented  to  citizens  of  the  Tri-Cities 
during  the  celebration  of  the  opening 
of  a  new  electric  generating  station. 
From  its  great  fires,  from  its  whirling 
generators,  every  man,  woman  and 
child  in  the  Tri-Cities  will  receive  some 
share  of  the  benefits  of  electric  heat, 
light  or  power. 


*^^     '^JP^ 


FORTY  YEARS   OF  DEVELOPMENT 


Plant  at  Fourth 
St.,  Moline, 
Built  in  1 888 


First  Plants  Built 
the  Same  Year  as 
Opening  of  First 
Plant  in  U.  S. 


First  Companies 
Organized  1882 


First  Playit 
Was  in 
Rock  Island 


Historical  Review 

A  BRIEF  historical  review  will  indicate 
that  no  community  in  the  United  States 
was  more  progressive  than  the  Tri-City  com- 
munity in  the  introduction  and  development 
of  the  use  of  electricity.  This  community 
was  one  of  the  first,  if  not  actually  the  first,  to 
introduce  certain  new  methods  and  machines 
which  have  since  become  almost  standard 
throughout  the  United  States. 

The  building  of  electric  plants  in  the  Tri- 
Cities  began  in  the  year  1882  and  it  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  this  was  the  year  in  which 
Thomas  Edison  opened  the  first  central  station 
on  Pearl  street  in  New  York  City. 

On  May  1,  1882,  the  Davenport  Electric 
Light  Company  was  organized,  and  on  July 
14th  of  the  same  year,  the  Rock  Island  County 
Brush  Electric  Light  Company  was  organized 
in  Rock  Island.  Among  the  organizers  of  the 
Davenport  company  were:  George  L.  Daven- 
port, Ross  Woodmansee,  B.  B.  Woodward, 
T.  G.  Gay  lord  and  Charles  E.  Putnam.  In 
Rock  Island  the  incorporators  were:  C.  Speidel, 
Oliver  Olsen,  M.  G.  Mills,  C.  E.  Hawley, 
Thomas  Gait  and  A.  C.  Dart. 

On  November  25,  1882  the  Merchants  Elec- 
tric Light  Company  of  Moline  was  organized, 
the  incorporators  being:  William  Clendenin, 
Conrad  F.  Grantz  and  George  H.  Sohrbeck. 
This  company  secured  a  charter  and  made  plans 
for  an  electric  system,  but  no  plant  was  built 
until  the  company  was  taken  over  by  S.  S.  and 
T.  B.  Davis. 

The  first  plant  in  Rock  Island  was  at  Sixteen- 
th street  and  First  avenue.  It  was  built  in  the 
year  1882  and  appears  to  be  the  first  one  com- 
pleted in  the  Tri-Cities.  Many  people  remem- 
ber the  eleven  towers  125  feet  high  first  used  to 


Page  Four 


EARS  or   DEVELOPAV 


light  the  city  of  Rock  Island  by  electricity. 
From  each  tower  were  suspended  two  arc 
lights  making  twenty-two  lights  in  all.  The 
city  paid  $305.00  pei'  year  per  light.  Also,  a 
number  of  readers  of  this  booklet  will  remem- 
ber having  had  a  financial  interest  in  the  Rock 
Island  County  Brush  Electric  Company,  for 
it  was  organized  by  Rock  Island  men  and  almost 
every  prominent  business  man  in  Rock  Island 
finally  had  shares  in  it. 

In  1883  an  electrician  by  the  name  of  F.  B. 
Babt  was  employed  by  the  Davenport  company 
to  install  a  20-light  machine  in  the  old  gas  plant 
which  was  situated  where  the  French  &  Hecht 
factories  now  stand. 

On  February  9,  1884,  S.  S.  Davis  and  T.  B. 
Davis,  having  taken  over  the  Merchants  Elec- 
tric Light  Company  of  Moline,  installed  a  50- 
light  U.  S.  arc  machine  in  the  waterworks  build- 
ing and  lighted  the  stores  in  Moline.  This 
was  a  600-volt  machine  and  was  considered  a 
monster  at  the  time.  It  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  United  States.  In  1885  the 
Davis  brothers  organized  the  Merchants  Elec- 
tric Light  Company  of  Rock  Island  and  built 
a  plant  on  Xinteenth  street  from  which  the 
stores  in  Rock  Island  were  lighted.  In  1886 
new  dynamos  were  bought  and  with  the  one 
from  the  Moline  waterworks,  were  placed  in 
the  basement  of  the  Davis  block  and  the  first 
electric  street  lights  in  Moline.  80  in  number, 
were  started  May  1st. 

On  November  4,  1885,  there  appears  a  res- 
olution by  the  City  Council  of  Davenport  to 
light  the  city  by  electricity  with  35  tower  lights 
and  45  lamps,  at  street  intersections,  which 
was  contracted  with  the  Jenney  Electric  Light 
Company  of  Fort  Wayne.  Indiana. 

Next  came  the  street  cars,  the  early  use  of 
which  gave  a  tremendous  impetus  to  the  larger 


Ritertidr  I'uurr 
Station,  Opened 
October.  19iS 


Plant  in 

Davenport 

in  1883 


Plant  Lights 

Moline  Stores 

in  188  A 


Resolution  bij 

Davenport 

Council  to  Light 

Streets  in  1SS5 


Page  Fire 


FORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


Generator  In- 
stalled About 
1 900  in  23rd  St. 
Plant,  Rock 
Island 


First  Street  Car 
Up  Brady  Street 
August  11,1 


Peoples  Light 
Company 
Incorporated 
Jan.  30,  1 


2000  Volt  Line 
Moline  to 
Davenport,  1888 


use  of  electricity.  On  August  11,  1888,  elec- 
tric street  cars  were  tested  on  the  Brady  street 
hill.  The  cars  loaded  with  40  or  50  persons 
easily  climbed  the  hill  and  there  was  general 
rejoicing.  The  formal  opening  of  the  electric 
line  took  place  August  13,  1888.  The  pioneer 
who  was  principally  responsible  for  the  building 
of  this  line  was  Dr.  Wm.  L.  Allen.  The  power 
was  generated  at  a  plant  on  the  west  side  of 
Brady  street,  between  Second  and  Third. 
There  was  probably  no  more  than  one  other 
electric  car  line  in  operation  in  the  United 
States  at  the  time  of  the  opening  of  this  line. 

The  year  of  1888  was  an  important  one  for 
electricity  in  the  Tri-Cities  for  it  was  during 
this  year  that  the  Davis  brothers  acquired  a 
25-year  contract  with  the  Moline  Water  Power 
Company  and  built  an  electric  plant  at  the 
foot  of  Fourth  street  in  Moline,  this  being  the 
first  water  power  plant  in  the  community. 
On  March  10th  the  dynamos  from  the  Rock 
Island  Merchants  Electric  Light  Company 
plant  were  placed  in  this  building  and  the  first 
electric  lights  were  run  from  Moline  to  Rock 
Island  by  water  power  on  this  day. 

On  January  30,  1888  the  Peoples  Light  Com- 
pany of  Davenport  was  incorporated  and  in 
this  year  the  Davis  brothers  built  a  2,000-volt 
transmission  line  from  Moline  to  Davenport. 
This  was  a  long  line  and  a  high  voltage  for  those 
days.  It  was  one  of  the  outstanding  trans- 
mission lines  in  the  United  States  at  that  time. 
On  April  18,  1888  the  first  electric  street  lights 
to  appear  in  Davenport  secured  current  from 
this  line.  The  alternating  current  dynamo 
installed  in  the  Moline  plant  of  the  same  year, 
making  the  long  line  a  possibility,  was  one  of 
the  first  dynamos  of  this  type  in  the  United 
States  and  it  may  have  been  the  largest  of  its 
kind  in  existence. 


Page  Six 


OK    DEVELOPMENT 


The  first  electric  street  car  appeared  on 
Fifteenth  street  in  Moline  on  October  17,  1889, 
receiving  current  from  the  Mohne  power  plant. 
W.  R.  Moore  was  the  principal  one  responsible 
for  the  building  of  this  line.  It  was  financed 
by  a  large  number  of  local  citizens.  S.  W. 
Wheelock  had  a  large  interest. 

In  the  power  plant  at  Moline  a  number  of 
devices  were  tried  for  transmitting  the  power 
from  the  water  wheels  to  the  dynamos.  Shafts 
and  gears  were  used  without  success  and  a  long 
rope  drive  finally  proved  successful,  although 
in  one  trial  it  pulled  out  the  whole  side  of  the 
plant  building,  almost  completely  wrecking  the 
plant.  If  it  was  not  the  first  plant  in  the  United 
States,  it  was  one  of  the  first,  in  which  engines 
and  water  wheels  were  used  to  operate  the  same 
dynamos.  A  long  shaft  extended  throughout 
the  entire  length  of  the  plant.  To  this  shaft 
engines  and  water  wheels  were  connected  by 
rope  belts  and  the  dvTiamos  also  received  their 
power  from  it  by  rope  drive.  The  construc- 
tion, would,  of  course,  look  very  crude  compared 
to  our  present  direct-connected  prime  movers. 

Another  thing  for  which  the  Tri-Cities  can 
claim  to  be  one  of  the  first,  if  not  actually  the 
first,  was  the  inter-connection  of  power  plants. 
The  Davis  brothers  early  extended  lines 
between  plants  and  interchanged  power.  Some 
people  talk  of  Super  Power  as  if  it  were  a  brand- 
new  idea.  Here  we  had  Super  Power  in  the 
Tri-Cities  at  the  very  beginning  of  electricity. 
The  early  pioneers  tried  many  things.  They 
had  to  in  order  to  make  a  success  of  the  use  of 
electricity. 

In  the  Davenport  substation  was  installed  a 
rotary  converter  used  to  convert  alternating 
current  to  direct  current,  which  was  the  largest 
machine  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States  when 
it   was  installed,  and   it   was  one  of  ihc  first 


Electric  Street 

Car  iti  Moline 

Oct.  17,  1SS9 


Tri-Cities  Among 

the  First  in 

Man  If  Things 


The  First 

Large 

Rotary 

Converter 


Page  Strrn 


View  of  River-         ^^l^ 
side  Plant  and 
Transmission 
Line 


■f^ 


Street  Car 
Plant  in 
Rock  Island 


Moline  Plant 
Destroyed  by 
Fire 


Deere  and 

Bengston 

Pioneers 


Alternating 
Current  and 
the  Incandescent 
Lamp 


FORTY  YEARS   OF   DEVELOPMENX, 

rotary  converters  to  be  put  into  practical  use. 
This  machine  made  it  possible  to  operate  street 
cars  from  the  steam  and  water-power  plant  in 
Moline.  The  early  electric  street  cars  in 
Rock  Island  received  current  from  a  plant 
built  by  the  Holmes  syndicate  where  the  pre- 
sent Rock  Island  substation  stands,  just  west 
of  the  Rock  Island  waterworks.  This  plant 
was  built  by  Thomas  Cowling. 

How  rapidly  things  happened  in  those  first 
days!  We  have  been  talking  of  a  period  of 
httle  more  than  six  years.  The  early  builders 
were  busy  men  and  recall  many  times  when 
they  worked  night  and  day  for  several  days  at 
a  time  to  keep  their  equipment  going. 

The  buildings  were  not  of  concrete  and  steel 
at  that  time  and  on  September  26,  1892,  the 
electric  station  at  Fourth  street,  Moline,  was 
entirely  destroyed  by  fire.  The  fire  was  caused 
by  the  heavy  load  required  to  furnish  current 
for  street  cars  up  Fifteenth  street  hill. 
The  electricity  jumped  the  gap  on  an  old  wood 
switch  panel  and  the  fire  broke  out  at  once. 
Old-timers  say  this  seemed  like  the  end  of  the 
world,  but  then  as  now,  they  rose  to  emergencies 
and  there  was  no  great  gap  in  the  service. 

Among  the  early  pioneers,  John  Bengston 
and  C.  H.  Deere  of  Moline  should  not  be  over- 
looked. With  his  own  eight-light  machine, 
C.  H.  Deere  had  the  first  manufacturing  plant 
in  the  Tri-Cities  to  be  lighted  by  electricity. 
By  means  of  a  two-light  water  power  outfit, 
John  Bengston  succeeded  in  having  the  first 
electric-lighted  store. 

About  the  time  that  the  alternaters  were  in- 
troduced, the  incandescent  lamp  began  to  come 
into  general  use  and  made  electricity  avail- 
able for  homes  as  well  as  for  stores,  streets  and 
factories.  Electricity  was  now  well  launched 
on  its  course  of  remarkable  development. 


Page  Eight 


ITV 


5^^:: 


EARS   OF   DEVELOP.N 


^^ 


In  1893  the  Davis  brothers  organized  the 
Peoples  Power  Comi)any,  and  the  Rock  Island 
County  Brush  Electric  Lijiht  Company  as  well 
as  the  gas  companies  were  taken  over  by  it. 

It  would  be  too  long  a  story  to  tell  of  the 
organization  and  changes  in  ownership  of  the 
many  street  railway  companies  which  were 
formed  in  the  early  period  of  development. 
The  street  railway  business  has  had  many  ups 
and  downs. 

In  1895  the  Davenport  Gas,  Electric  Light 
and  Steam  Heating  Company  was  organized  by 
five  Walsh  Brothers,  which  acquired  the  elec- 
tric plant  situated  at  the  gas  works  of  the  Dav- 
enport Gas  Light  Company.  The  company 
later  changed  its  name  to  the  Davenport  Gas  & 
Electric  Company. 

In  1898  the  Davis  Brothers  took  over  the 
direction  of  the  Moline  Water  Power  Com- 
pany and  bought  the  water  power  at  Sears, 
Illinois.    They  still  operate  these  water  powers. 

In  1906  the  J.  G.  White  Engineering  and 
Construction  Company  acquired  all  of  the  local 
electric,  gas  and  street  railway  properties.  This 
company  had  been  building  some  of  the  world's 
largest  electrical  systems. 

The  coming  of  this  company  into  Tri-City 
affairs  marked  the  beginning  of  one  of  the  most 
rapid  and  one  of  the  greatest  periods  of  financ- 
ing, building,  improvement  and  growth  of  busi- 
ness that  has  taken  place  in  this  community. 
The  company  possessed  great  financial  resources 
and  brought  to  the  community  men  of  wide  ex- 
perience and  proven  ability  in  the  development 
of  public  utilities. 

Mr.  J.  F.  Porter,  now  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  public  utility  men  of  the  country, 
was  appointed  to  take  over  the  general  man- 
agement of  the  business.  Mr.  Porter  entered 
wholeheartedly  into  local  affairs  with  a  view  to 


Peoples  Power 

Co.  Organized 

in  1893 


Coming  of 

J.  G.  White  Co. 

in  1906 


Opened 

Period  of 
Rapid  Growth 


J.  F.  Porter, 

Manager 


Pcfe  Nin* 


Construction 
View  of  River- 
side Plant 


New 

Machinery 

Installed 


United  Light 
Buys  Properties 
in  1912 


ORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 

developing,  not  only  the  public  utilities,  but 
the  community  as  a  whole,  and  will  be  remem- 
bered as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity during  the  years  he  was  here. 

In  1908,  the  J.  G.  White  Engineering  and 
Construction  Company  began  immediately  to 
install  machinery  and  equipment  of  the  latest 
and  most  improved  design.  Gas,  electric  and 
street  railway  lines  were  extended  on  a  large 
scale.  Rapid  strides  were  made  in  the  devel- 
opment of  new  uses  for  electricity  and  the  devel- 
opment of  the  business  increased  at  a  very  rapid 
rate.  The  boiler  rooms  in  the  Moline  plant 
were  rebuilt.  The  first  turbo  generators  were 
installed.  Greater  efficiency  in  management 
and  operation  and  economies  secured  from  the 
use  of  improved  machinery  and  equipment 
led  to  reduction  in  rates,  which  further  stim- 
ulated an  increased  business.  All  this  required 
much  new  capital  and  the  J.  G.  WTiite  company 
invested  many  millions  of  dollars  here.  With 
Mr.  Porter  came  a  number  of  men  who  had 
been  associated  with  him  at  Alton,  Ilhnois,  all 
of  whom  took  an  active  part  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  utilities  here.  Some  of  these  men 
still  arc  known  in  this  community  and  are 
active,  well-known  citizens. 

The  growth  and  expansion  of  the  business 
was  again  accelerated  in  1912  when  the  prop- 
erties were  sold  to  a  company  then  just  start- 
ing in  its  growth,  which  was  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  largest  public  utility  operating  com- 
panies in  the  United  States.  This  was  the 
United  Light  and  Railways  Company,  of  which 
our  local  companies  are  still  subsidiaries. These 
subsidiaries,  which  include  such  well-known 
companies  as  the  Peoples  Light  Company, 
Peoples  Power  Company,  Clinton,  Davenport 
and  Muscatine  Railway  Company  and  the  Tri- 
City  Railway  Companies  of  Illinois  and  Iowa, 


Page  Ten 


)T  DEVELOPMENT 


have  never  lost  their  identity  ;us  local  institu- 
tions, operated  by  local  men  and  "tied-up" 
with  all  j)hiLses  of  local  activity.  In  fact,  these 
companies  have  bei-ome  more  :iii«l  more  :i 
part  of  the  community. 

The  purpose  of  the  utility  company  to  devel- 
op it.s  business  for  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity and  the  problems  met  in  attaining  this 
end  are  becoming  better  understood  by  the 
people  of  the  community.  The  widespread 
ownership  of  shares  in  the  company  is  creating 
a  community  of  interest  among  customers, 
employees  and  the  managers  of  the  business. 
The  people  of  the  community  have  seen  every 
year  the  evidence  of  the  company's  confidence 
in  the  community.  The  United  Light  has 
spent  at  least  $1,000,000.00  here  every  year  to 
improve  and  enlarge  the  community's  utility 
systems.  The  company  has  been  constantly 
on  the  alert  to  keep  pace  with  the  latest  im- 
provements in  machinery  and  equipment  in 
order  to  provide  service  at  the  lowest  possible 
cost. 

The  result  has  been  that  in  the  Tri-Cities 
there  is  one  of  the  most  up-to-date  and  ef!icient 
gas,  electric  and  street  railway  systems  to  be 
found  in  the  United  States.  In  fact,  these 
utilities  have  been  vi.sited  frequently  by  stu- 
dents of  the  public  utility  busine.ss  as  models  of 
present  day  utility  development.  The  com- 
pany has  co-operated  with  the  manufacturing 
industries  of  the  community  to  make  gas  and 
electricity  available  for  the  larger  uses  which 
have  been  .so  important  in  bringing  about  our 
great  industrial  growth  and  expansion.  Many 
new  appliances  increasing  comfort  and  reduc- 
ing drudgery  in  the  home  have  been  introduced. 

Since  lin2  the  amount  of  electrical  energy 
generated  in  the  Tri-Cities  has  increased  five 
times.   While  the  cost  of  labor  and   materials 


VUw  o/SUm* 

in  BoiUr  Room 

of  RimeriiiU 

FUiHl 


Problems 

Better 

Understood 

/>//  ///('  Public 


An  Vp-to-I)ate 
System 


Pag*  EU9tn 


Page  Twelve 


9^-«_ 


EARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


Aw«^ 


went  "sky-high"  during  the  stress  of  war-times 
and  (luring  the  adjustment  period  following, 
electricity  remained  at  pre-war  j)rices  or  even 
lower.  During  tiie  world-war  when  practically 
every  community  in  the  country  was  running 
on  curtailed  consumption  of  electrical  power, 
when  lightless  nights  and  coalless  days  were 
the  rule,  the  Chicago  and  Tri-City  districts 
were  the  only  ones  where  a  sufficient  amount  of 
electrical  energy  was  available  to  meet  abnor- 
mal demands  without  restrictions.  In  addi- 
tion to  handling  the  heavy  load  placed  upon  it 
at  that  time  by  private  industries,  the  company 
supplied  the  arsenal  with  a  great  extra  amount 
of  energy  for  use  in  carrying  on  its  war  work  at 
top  speed. 

Mr.  Frank  Hulswit  and  Mr.  Richard  Schad- 
delee,  the  founders  of  the  United  Light,  have 
always  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  growth  of 
the  Tri-City  community.  A  number  of  men 
came  to  this  community  about  the  time  when 
the  United  Light  acquired  the  properties  here 
and  they  have  become  leading  citizens,  taking 
an  active  part  in  all  civic  affairs. 

The  I'nited  Light  as  a  holding  company  has 
made  available  for  the  developnent  of  utilities 
here,  almost  unlimited  financial  resources. 
Xew  money  at  favorable  interest  rates  has  been 
available  because  of  the  great,  prosperous  and 
diversified  business  which  now  extends  to  289 
communities  in  nine  great  states.  The  United 
Light  has  the  advantage  of  combined  purchas- 
ing power  in  the  buying  of  huge  supplies  of 
coal,  oil,  machinery,  wire,  poles,  etc.  Com- 
bined operations  makes  possible  a  stalf  of  skill- 
ed engineers,  the  best  the  country  affords. 

The  crowning  event  in  the  history  of  the  de- 
velopment of  the  utilities  here  is  the  open- 
ing of  the  Riverside  power  plant,  which  we  are 
now  celebrating. 


1--        \ 


'^flJ^S 


Vinr  o/ 

Rirertide  from 

Wing  Dam  in 

thr  Misgisaippi 


Meets  Stress 

oj  War  Times 

Without  Increasing 

Rates 


Hulswit  and 

Schaddelee 

Founders  of 

United  Light 


Serving  289 

Communities 

in  Nine  States 


The  Crowning 
Event 


Page  ThirUtn 


FORTY  YEARS   OF   DEVEl-OPM.Ei«IT_ 


Financing 


Entrance 
Riverside 
Power  Plant 


Four  or 

Five  Dollars 

Capital 

jor  Every  Dollar 

Earned 


Different  from 
Manufacturing 
and  Merchandising 


Large 

Permanent 

Properties 


IT  is  often  asked  why  public-utility  compa- 
nies constantly  seek  new  capital — why  there 
is  need  of  more  and  more  money  for  investment 
when  manufacturing  or  mercantile  concerns 
doing  a  large  gross  business  every  year  rarely 
increase  their  capital  investments. 

This  is  one  of  the  fundamental  differences  be- 
tween the  public-utility  industry  and  the  manu- 
facturing or  merchandising  of  goods. 

A  public-service  enterprise  requires  the  per- 
manent investment  of  from  four  to  five  dollars 
in  order  to  be  able  to  collect  one  dollar  in  gross 
earnings  annually.  In  other  words,  the  value 
of  its  investment  in  the  facilities  for  giving  serv- 
ice is  from  four  to  five  times  the  sum  that  can  be 
collected  in  any  one  year  by  rendering  service  at 
a  reasonable  rate  which  is  fixed  and  established 
by  law. 

The  merchants  and  manufacturers  of  mer- 
chandise, on  the  other  hand,  are  able  to  turn 
their  capital  several  times  every  year.  A  manu- 
facturing enterprise  requiring  an  investment  of, 
say,  $100,000.00  in  plant  and  facilities,  may 
produce  goods  which  sell  for  $500,000.00  or 
more.  Such  a  manufacturer  would  be  turning 
his  capital  five  times  during  the  year. 

The  census  figures  for  1923  showed  the  capi- 
talization of  electric  light  and  power  companies 
to  be  $4,465,015,691  and  gross  revenue  $1,072,- 
119,883,  indicating  that  the  capital  is  turned 
over  only  once  in  4.46  years. 

The  money  secured  from  the  sale  of  securities 
is  not  used  to  pay  operating  expenses.  It  is  in- 
vested in  permanent  property,  much  of  which  is 
buried  in  the  ground  never  to  come  out  until 
worn  out;  in  poles  and  wires  which  carry  the  cur- 
rent for  lighting  homes  and  the  power  for  facto- 
ries, or  for  added  equipment  in  the  power  plant. 


Page  Fourteen 


With  the  rates  which  are  esUibiished  by  law, 
the  money  that  is  collected  for  service  goes  to 
pay  for  materials,  wa^es,  taxes,  insurance,  de- 
preciation and  oilier  operating'  expenses  and 
the  interest  on  savings  invested  in  the  perma- 
nent properties  of  the  business.  There  is  no 
sun>lus  available  for  the  upbuilding  of  new 
and  additit)nal  permanent  physical  properties. 
Money  for  this  purpose  must  come  from  in- 
vestors who  are  putting  new  capital  into  the 
business.  It  will  be  appreciated  from  these 
conditions  that  financing  is  one  of  the  most 
important  features  uf  the  utility  business. 

The  completed  Riverside  plant  represents  an 
investment  in  this  community  amounting  to 
about  $3,(K)0,O0().O0,  and,  in  addition,  there 
have  been  many  additions  and  extensions  to  the 
various  parts  of  the  system,  as  in  other  years, 
requiring  additional  millions  of  dollars. 

It  was  long  ago  found  impossible  to  finance 
the  public-utility  business  out  of  the  savings  of  a 
few  individual  investors.  The  business  is  now 
owned  by  thousands  of  shareholders.  The  prac- 
tice of  selling  shares  in  the  business  to  employ- 
ees and  customers  has  come  as  a  result  of  the 
constant  need  for  new  money,  and  also  because 
it  has  been  found  that  the  company,  the  com- 
munity, customers,  employees  and  everybody 
benefit  as  the  ownership  of  the  public  service 
company  becomes  more  deeply  rooted  and  more 
widespread  among  the  people. 

A  fine  record  has  been  made  in  this  commu- 
nity in  the  development  of  customer  ownership. 
The  Prior  Preferred  shares  .sold  to  customers 
and  employees  are  owned  by  8,861  shareholders. 
The  savings  invested  by  Tri-City  customers  and 
employees  during  the  last  few  years  have  been 
almost  suflicient  to  build  the  Riverside  power 
station.  Thousands  of  customers  are  taking 
advantage  of  this  unusual  opportunity  for  safe 


JQL.«^ 


v."^* 


('imUiinitii/ 

Oiridrnd  ( 'Hrrk$ 

MaiUd  to  I'rior 

Pttirrrrd  Share- 

holdeT$  Etrru 

Month 


$3,000,000 

for  Riverside 
Plant 


Financing 

Impossible 

hij  Few 

Investors 


Customer 
Ownership 


Pag*  Fi/I*rn 


FORTY  YEARS   OF  DEVELOPMENT 


L 


East  Side  o/ 
Plant  on  Which 
Future  Exten- 
sions Will  Be 
Built 


A  Trust 
to  Have 
Service 
Ready 

Serving  the 
Interest 
of  the 
Community 

The  Public's 

Greatest 

Interest 


'•% 


Constant 
Investment 
of  New 
Capital 


profitable  investment  and  are  making  a  regular 
habit  of  investing  savings  in  Prior  Preferred 
shares. 

The  community  grows,  new  homes  go  up,  fac- 
tories expand  and  new  industries  are  attracted, 
new  uses  for  electricity  are  constantly  adding  to 
comfort  and  efficiency ;  also,  they  are  increasing 
demands  for  electrical  energy.  It  is  an  obliga- 
tion of  the  company,  a  trust  that  the  people 
have  placed  in  it  to  have  the  service  ready  when 
the  demand  comes. 

The  community  cannot  grow  without  ade- 
quate utility  service.  In  assisting  the  company 
to  take  care  of  its  financial  requirements,  the 
public  are  serving  their  own  interests.  The 
public  have  a  far  greater  interest  in  the  utility 
company  than  that  of  whether  they  pay  a  little 
more  or  less  for  kilowatt  hours  of  energy  or 
cubic  feet  of  gas  or  street-car  rides. 

Their  greatest  interest  is  that  the  company 
may  continue  to  develop  and  expand  so  that  it 
can  meet  all  the  demands  for  service  that  the 
public  may  make  upon  it.  This  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  success  of  the  public  in  their 
business  and  for  their  comfort  in  their  homes 
and  social  lives.  The  public's  interest  is  best 
served  when  they  can  be  sure  they  will  be  able 
to  get  all  the  kilowatt  hours  of  energy,  cubic 
feet  of  gas  or  street-car  rides  that  they  require. 

This  means  that  plants,  transmission  lines, 
gas  mains  and  distribution  equipment  must  be 
built  not  only  to  keep  pace  with,  but  to  antici- 
pate the  growth  of  the  community.  The  entire 
system  must  be  constantly  expanded,  requiring 
the  constant  investment  of  new  capital. 


Page  Sixteen 


S  OF  DEVEl 


Planning  and  Building 

FOLLOWIXCi  is  an  excerpt  from  an  address 
made  before  the  Rotary  Club  of  Daven- 
port on  March  30,  1925,  by  Mr.  B.  J.  Denman, 
Vice-President  of  The  United  Light  and  Power 
Company.  Mr.  Denman  and  Mr.  R.  B.  Mac- 
Donald,  Vice  President  ot  the  Tri-City  Com- 
panies, have  given  much  time  and  personal  at- 
tention to  the  planning  and  engineering  for  the 
new  Riverside  plant: 

"Certain  capital  expenditures  are  somewhat 
in  accordance  with  increased  revenue.  This 
applies  particularly  to  the  taking  on  of  addi- 
tional business  on  existing  mains  and  services, 
or  short  extensions  of  existing  gas  and  electric 
lines,  but  as  a  certain  section  develops,  there 
always  comes  a  period  when  feeders  must  be 
extended  back  to  gas  works,  power  plants  and 
sub-stations,  and  these,  in  turn,  necessitate  ad- 
ditional apparatus  in  the  plant.  Major  expendi- 
tures of  this  kind  must  be  large  enough  to  pro- 
vide for  a  considerable  future  growth.  Such 
expenditures  require  very  careful  study. 

"There  comes  a  time,  also,  when  existing 
plants  have  been  expanded  until  it  is  not  eco- 
nomical to  increase  their  size  any  further,  and 
the  building  of  new  plants  becomes  necessary, 
involving  the  addition  of  large  generator  units. 


k' 


Viev  of  Plant 

Site  Taken  in 

19tS 


Remarks  on 

Planning  by 

B.  J.  Denman 


New  Additions 

Requiring 
Millions 


©.SeTpRIOR  PREFERRED  STOCK 

UNITED  LIGHT  tt  RAILWAYS  OQ 


1    I   A   /ii7r 


Sign  in  Davenport  Adrertiting  Prior  Prtferrred  Shares 


Page  Seventeen 


FORTY  YEARS   OF   DEVELOPMENT        ^^ 


60,000  H.  P. 
Plant,  Fourth 
Street,  Moline 


Additional 
Section 
Necessary 
in  Short  Time 


Deciding 
the  Location 


Considered 
Plant  at 
Mine 
Mouth 


the  cost  of  which  ordinarily  runs  into  several 
million  dollars.  It  is  necessary  in  both  the  gas 
and  electric  business  to  have  sufficient  reserve 
equipment,  so  that  any  unit  can  be  out  of  use 
without  affecting  the  continuity  of  the  service. 
The  size  of  a  unit  to  be  selected  must  bear  some 
relation  to  the  prospective  demand,  and  in  the 
case  of  the  new  Riverside  station,  taking  all  fac- 
tors into  account,  we  decided  to  install  a  25,000 
kilowatt  unit. 

"Were  business  conditions  in  the  community 
better,  we  would  probably  have  installed  two 
units.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  might  have  got- 
ten along  for  a  little  while  without  this  unit,  but 
when  business  increases,  we  would  be  found 
without  adequate  capacity,  and  we  thought  we 
owed  it  to  the  community  not  to  take  any 
chances.  We  believe,  however,  that  it  is  a 
question  of  only  a  relatively  short  time  before  a 
second  section  of  the  building  and  a  second  unit 
will  be  necessary. 

"Having  determined  the  size  of  the  unit  to  be 
installed,  the  next  question  was  the  location  of 
the  plant.  We  carefully  considered  the  possi- 
bility of  adding  it  to  the  present  station  in  Mo- 
line, but,  on  account  of  inadequate  room,  found 
this  impossible. 

"Finally,  after  making  detailed  investiga- 
tions of  several  plant  sites  on  both  the  Illinois 
and  Iowa  side  of  the  river,  and  after  taking  all 
factors  into  consideration,  it  was  decided  that  a 
new  station  six  miles  above  Davenport  and  op- 
posite East  Moline,  could  serve  this  growing 
community  most  economically  and  efficiently. 

"In  view  of  the  talk  about  location  of  plants 
at  the  mine  mouth,  it  might  be  of  interest  to 
know  that  we  investigated  the  possibility  of  lo- 
cating a  plant  at  the  mines  in  Fulton  county, 
but,  owing  to  inadequate  water  for  condensing 
purposes,  found  this  entirely  impracticable.     In 


Page  Eighteen 


the  location  of  a  modern  steam  plant,  adequati- 
condensing  water  is  of  first  importance,  and 
greatly  increiuscd  haul  of  coal  is  warranted  if 
better  water  conditions  can  be  obtained." 

Months  and  years  of  planning,  study  and  in- 
vestigations took  place  before  any  malt'rials 
were  purchiustnl  or  designs  were  decided  upon. 

Realizing  that  before  long  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  add  additional  units,  it  was  decided  to 
construct  the  Riverside  plant  on  the  unit  i)rin- 
ciple.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  eiust  side  is  a 
wall  with  no  windows  made  of  unfinished  brick 
which  can  be  easily  removed  when  another  .sec- 
tion is  added.  The  present  unit  is  35. 000  liorse- 
p>ower  capacity.  It  is  contemplated  that  the 
plant  may  in  the  future  be  enlarged  to  include 
six  generator  units,  making  a  combined  capacity 
of  more  than  200,000  horse  power. 

The  new  plant  has  been  built  not  to  replace, 
but  to  supplement  the  present  plant  in  Moline, 
which  ha.s  a  capacity  of  about  (iO.OOO  horse 
power.  These  two  plants,  together  with  the 
water-power  plants  at  Sears  and  Moline.  give  a 
total  generator  capacity  for  the  Tri-Cities 
amounting  to  105,000  horse  power. 

The  fact  that  the  Riverside  plant  is  situated 
on  the  Mi.ssi.ssippi  river  may  have  given  the  first 
impression  that  this  is  a  water-power  .station. 
As  previously  mentioned,  an  ample  supply  of 
water  is  neces.sary  for  the  economical  operation 
.secured  by  large  modern  steam  stations.  A 
large  water-power  .station  in  the  Tri-Cities 
would  neither  be  practicable  or  for  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community.  The  problem  of 
building  water-power  plants  here  is  different 
from  that  which  exists  where  there  is  a  rapid  fall 
of  water;  or,  in  other  words,  where  there  is  a 
high  head,  such  as  exists  at  Niagara  Falls  and 
in  mountain  regions. 


Intrnor  V'trw  oj 

\loUnr  Ptnm 

I'lanl 


Months 

and  Years 

oJ  Planning 


Not  to  Replace 

but  to  Supplement 

Moline  Plant 


Limitations 

oj  Water 

Power 


Pogt  NintUrn 


FORTY  YEARS   OF   DEVELOPMENT         ^ 


Electricity  Used 
for  Power  and 
Light  in  Plant 
of  Rock  Island 
Manufacturing 
Company 


G.T.  Shoemaker 
in  Charge 


The  Engineering 
and  Construction 
Department 


The  energy  available  from  water  power  varies 
to  a  large  extent  over  the  several  seasons  of  the 
year,  and  the  output  of  water-power  plants  is 
subject  to  reductions  due  to  high  water,  low 
water  and  ice.  This  reduction  in  output,  in 
order  to  meet  the  demand  for  service,  must  be 
supplied  by  steam-generating  plants.  A  water- 
power  plant  is  not  worth  what  it  will  do  at  a 
maximum  or  at  an  average,  but  at  a  minimum. 
It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  if  a  large  investment 
were  made  for  the  development  of  water  power 
here,  it  would  be  necessary  to  install  and  main- 
tain steam-generating  equipment  of  the  same 
capacity  as  the  water-power  plant,  and,  there- 
fore, two  investments  would  have  to  be  made  for 
the  same  capacity.  The  development  of  a 
water-power  plant  here,  on  account  of  the  low 
head,  is  very  expensive,  and  the  fixed  charges  on 
such  a  development  are  more  than  the  coal 
costs  in  the  steam-power  plant. 

The  United  Light  has  its  own  engineering  and 
construction  department,  and  at  the  head  of  the 
department  is  a  well-known  Tri-City  man,  Mr. 
G.  T.  Shoemaker.  This  department,  which  was 
responsible  for  the  designing  and  building  of  the 
Riverside  plant,  has  been  uninterruptedly  en- 
gaged for  many  years  in  the  construction  of 
power  plants  in  the  various  communities  served 
by  United  Light.  Experienced  men  and  special 
machines  are  transferred  from  one  project  to 
another. 

In  the  engineering  and  construction  depart- 
ment, there  are  specialists  along  various  lines 
who  are  constantly  devoting  their  time  and 
effort  to  the  study  and  solution  of  problems  re- 
lating to  special  work.  It  is  evident  that  there 
is  a  great  amount  of  knowledge  and  experience 
thus  accumulated  which  is  a  great  advantage  in 
the  building  of  utility  properties. 


Page  Twenty 


-V- 


YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


The  following  Tri-City  men  have  taken  a 
leading  part  in  the  lines  indicated: 

Ed.  Lerch .  Architectural 

L.  E.  Baggs.  Structural 

H.  H.  Mangels  Construction  Supt. 

E.  H.  ThnK'kmorton        .,,     ,      .     , 
,j    .    ,,,  .  Mechanical 

H.  A.  Kleinman , 

E.  H.  Geissinger Conveyor  Equipment 

M.E.Strom 

James  Bahen }-Electrical 

W.H.  Snider J 

E.  T.  Williamson Transmission  Line 

Many  other  loyal  employees  have  given  their 
undivided  interest  and  effort  to  make  this  plant 
a  reality.  The  operating  departments  gave 
their  whole-hearted  co-operation  in  working  out 
many  problems,  in  making  final  tests  and,  at 
last,  in  putting  the  plant  into  operation. 

Years  before  the  purchase  of  the  site  on  No- 
vember 18,  1923,  study  and  planning  had  begun 
to  determine  exactly  the  size  and  general  design 
of  the  plant  to  be  built.  Many  other  new  power 
houses  of  the  latest  design  were  visited  and 
closely  studied.  The  machinery  and  equipment 
produced  by  various  manufacturers  were  com- 
pared and  analyzed  with  reference  to  the  parti- 
cular needs  of  a  plant  for  this  community. 

It  was  decided  to  build  a  plant  of  the  very 
latest  design  and  to  install  some  new  features 
which  might  be  considered  in  the  pioneering 
stage,  the  aim  being  to  .secure  every  ounce  of 
power  possible  from  every  pound  of  coal  con- 
sumed. The  construction  of  a  plant  along  these 
lines  meant  that  it  should  be  designed  to  operate 
in  conjunction  with  the  plant  in  Moline  under  a 
fairly  constant  high  load.  In  other  words,  it 
should  be  operated  at  a  high-load  factor.  When 
operated  in  this  manner,  the  plant  finally  de- 
signed will  produce,  with  coal  containing  11,000 

Fag€  Twentti-On4 


I'laring  Steel 
iiirder  at 
Riverside 


Tri-City  Men 

in  Construction 

and  Engineering 

Work 


Designed 

for  High 

Load 

Factor 


FORTY  YEARS   OF  DEVELOPMENT 


Erecting  Walls 
Over  Steel  Frame 


l^^i> 


Turbine  Contract 
Placed  J  an.  9, 1923 

Many  Things 
to  Decide 


First  Shovel 

of  Dirt 

Dec.  19,  1923 


Over  a 
Thousand 
Cars  oj 
Material 


B.  T.  U.  per  pound,  a  kilowatt  hour  of  elec- 
tricity from  1,4  pounds  of  coal. 

How  far  ahead  the  general  design  was  planned 
and  decided  upon  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that 
the  contract  for  the  turbine  was  placed  with  the 
Westinghouse  Company  on  January  9,  1923. 
So  intricate  and  so  large  is  this  machine,  that 
orders  must  be  placed  years  in  advance  of  deliv- 
ery. 

Long  before  the  first  shovel  of  dirt  was  dug 
for  the  foundations,  it  was  necessary  to  decide 
upon  many  things.  The  type,  size  and  make  of 
large  costly  apparatus  must  be  determined,  in- 
cluding boilers,  condenser,  motor  drive  and  mo- 
tor control,  electric  switching  apparatus,  turbo- 
generator, pumps,  etc.  The  boilers  were  ordered 
in  July,  1923. 

The  first  shovel  of  dirt  for  the  foundations 
was  finally  dug  on  December  19,  1923.  In  the 
construction  of  the  plant  many  emergencies 
arose,  and  it  was  necessary  for  our  engineers  to 
be  constantly  on  the  alert  to  meet  the  unex- 
pected. 

The  size  of  the  project  is  indicated  in  an  in- 
teresting way  by  the  record  of  carloads  of  mate- 
rials received  at  the  plant.  This  record  is  as 
follows: 

Cars  Received  at  Riverside 
Power  Plant 

Cars 

Sand,  Gravel,  Cement,  Lime 482 

Tile  and  Brick 57 

Structural  Steel,  Reinforcing  Steel,  Orna- 
mental and  Miscellaneous  Iron 75 

Lumber,  Nails  and  Wire 15 

Electrical  Equipment  (which  includes  Con- 
duit, Cable,  Switches,  etc.) 27 

Steam  Turbine 18 


Page  Twenty-Two 


Page  Tweyity-Thrrt 


FORTY  YEARS   OF   DEVELOPME 


_—> 


.--^s 


..t 


Tieing  Steel  Re- 
inforcing Rods 
for  Concrete 
Foundation 
Walls 


Special  Cars 
Carry 
Turho- 
Generator 


Many  Orders 
for  Local 
Concerns 


Equipment  (includes  Boilers,  Stokers,  Coal- 
Handling  Equipment,  Super-heaters, 
Pumps,  Fans,  Cranes,  Heaters,  Pipe, 
Fittings,  etc.) 110 

Contractors'  Equipment 20 

Track  Work  (includes  Ties,  Rails,  Cinders 
and  Rock  Fill) 249 

Coal  and  Coke  used  during  construction ...     27 

Total  Cars 1080 

The  turbo-generator  was  the  largest  ma- 
chine ever  purchased  in  the  Tri-Cities.  This 
machine  was  so  large  that  a  fleet  of  spe- 
cially constructed  railroad  flat  cars  were  re- 
quired to  carry  the  huge  parts  from  the  West- 
inghouse  factory  to  the  Tri-Cities.  One  part 
alone,  weighed  eighty  tons. 

The  Tri-City  community  had  the  benefit  of 
many  large  orders  for  equipment  and  materials 
placed  with  the  following  local  concerns: 

John  Benedict  Company. 

Bettendorf  Hydrogen  &  Oxygen  Co. 

Bettendorf  Lumber  Co. 

Builders  Lime  &  Cement  Co. 

Builders  Sand  &  Gravel  Co. 

Carlson  Bros. 

Cassini  Mosaic  &  Tile  Co. 

Cement  Products  Co. 

Crane  Co. 

Crescent  Electric  Company. 

Davenport  Machine  &  Foundry  Co. 

Dimock  &  Gould. 

Thos.  Dunn  Company. 

Frank's  Foundry. 

Louis  Hanssen's  Sons  Co. 

A.  J.  Lerch  Co. 

Martin  Tile  Works. 

Pai;e  Twenty-Four 


■S    OF    D) 


lENT 


Montgomery  Elevator  Company. 

Mueller  Lumber  Co. 

N.  0.  Nelson  Mfg.  Co. 

Nichols  Sheet  Iron  &  Wire  Co. 

Northwest  Davenport  Cement  Block  Co. 

Pittsburp:h  Plate  Class  Co 

Republic  Electric  Company. 

Republic  Iron  &  Steel  Co. 

Re>molds  &  Balch  Company. 

Rock  Island  Bridge  &  Iron  Works. 

H.  0.  Seiffert  Lumber  Co. 

Sieg  Iron  Co. 

Western  Electric  Company. 

Western  Structural  Co. 

^^^lite  Yard. 

Beder  Wood's  Sons  Co. 

The  building  of  the  plant  provided  work  for 
as  many  as  350  men,  most  of  whom  were  men 
making  their  homes  in  this  community.  Many 
experts  were  detailed  by  manufacturers  fur- 
nishing equipment.  The  payrolls  at  times 
were  as  high  as  $10,000.00  a  week. 

To  one  not  familiar  with  greater  achieve- 
ments in  some  other  parts  of  the  country,  one 
of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  River- 
side project  is  the  spanning  of  the  Mississippi 
River  with  six  great  cables.  The  span  is  1800 
feet  long  and  the  towers  on  each  side  of  the 
Mississippi  are  200  feet  high. 

Permission  to  erect  the  towers  on  govern- 
ment property  was  obtained  by  the  company 
under  an  act  of  congress  passed  March  4,  1911, 
which  empowers  the  .secretary  of  war  to  grant 
easement  rights  for  a  period  not  exceeding  lifL\' 
years  to  electric  power  companies  and  other 
similar  utilities  where  the  o])eration  of  such  is 
not  incompatible  with  public  interests. 


Cuiistruclion 
View, 
Ground  in  Fore- 
ground is  Now 
Under  Wattr 


Spanning 
the  Mississippi 


Per  miss  iott  to 

Erect  Toicers  on 

Government 

Propertii 


Page  Twenty-Five 


Typical  Steel 
Tower  of  66,000 
Volt  Transmis- 
sion Line 


Power 
Valuable  to 
Government 

Sub-Station 
in  Moline 

First  Fires 
April  13,  1925 


Fires  37 
Years  Old 


FORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT^ 


When  the  company  made  its  apphcation  for 
right  of  way  across  the  island,  government  in- 
vestigation disclosed  that  not  only  would  it  not 
be  against  public  interest  to  have  such  a  trans- 
mission line  operated  there,  but  that  the  prox- 
imity of  so  much  electrical  power  would,  in 
time  of  need,  be  of  inestimable  value  to  the 
government. 

An  important  part  of  the  project  is  the  out- 
side sub-station  at  the  Moline  plant  where 
there  are  installed  large  transformers  for  re- 
ducing the  current  from  66,000  volts  to  be  dis- 
tributed o\^er  the  existing  lines  from  Moline. 

On  April  13,  1925,  the  first  fires  placed  under 
the  boilers  of  the  New  Riverside  plant  were 
transferred  from  the  plant  in  Moline.  A  fur- 
nace containing  live  coals  was  transported  from 
the  Moline  station. 

As  he  witnessed  this  epoch-making  event, 
E.  L.  Cameron,  superintendent  of  the  Moline 
and  Riverside  plants,  was  moved  to  "reminisce" 
interestingly  of  times  past  and  startling  devel- 
opments which  have  taken  place  in  his  years  of 
service.  While  the  fires  were  glowing  for  the 
first  time  in  the  huge  combustion  chamber, 
larger  than  most  living  rooms,  he  remarked 
that  the  fires  being  placed  there  were  at  least 
37  years  old.  "I  have  been  plant  superintend- 
ent since  1897,"  said  Mr.  Cameron,  "and  to  my 
knowledge  the  fires  from  which  electricity  is 
generated  have  been  burning  without  a  single 
interruption  since  1888.  I  guess  we  can  put 
our  fires  about  next  to  the  sun  for  continuous 
energy. 

"It  seems  not  many  years  ago  when  we  were 
handling  coal  for  the  boilers  with  wheelbarrows 
and  shovels.  We  are  turning  out  about  ten 
times  as  much  electric  energy  now  as  in  1900 
and  it  would  take  a  regular  army  of  men  to 
handle  the  coal  under  old  methods. 


Page  Twenty-Six 


Page  Twenty-Seren 


1   1 


FORTY  YEARS    OF   DEVELOPMENT 


Aeroplane  View 
of  Plant  Under 
Construction 


Remembers 

Coal  at 

50  Cents  a  Ton 

Generators 
First  Turned 
July  6 

In  Regular 
Operation 
September  1 


"I  can  remember  times,"  said  Mr.  Cameron, 
"when  screenings  were  so  plentiful  as  a  by- 
product from  other  sizes  of  coal,  that  we  got 
them  for  nothing  if  we  would  unload  the  coal 
and  release  the  cars  for  other  use.  Fifty  cents  a 
ton  was  considered  a  fair  price  for  coal  in  those 
days.  With  the  present  demand  for  electric 
energy,  screenings  are  no  longer  a  by-product. 
They  come  at  the  high  price  of  any  other  size 
of  coal.  It  takes  a  lot  of  efficiency  and  econ- 
omy to  make  up  for  the  difference  in  the  price 
of  coal." 

On  July  6th  when  the  line  had  been  complet- 
ed from  the  Riverside  plant  to  the  plant  in 
Moline,  the  generator  was  turned  over  for  the 
first  time.  This  was  done  slowly  at  first  in 
order  that  the  great  machine  could  work  in 
properly  and  that  equipment  might  be  tested. 

On  September  1st  the  plant  was  put  in  reg- 
ular operation,  beginning  its  many  years  of 
service  for  this  community.  The  plant  now 
stands,  a  thing  of  beauty  and  grandeur  in  its 
giant  proportions.  It  is  a  monument  to  local 
enterprise  of  which  the  people  of  the  Tri-City 
community  may  well  feel  proud.  It  is  gen- 
erally recognized  by  leading  authorities  as  one 
of  the  most  up-to-date  power  plants  in  design 
and  construction,  in  the  country. 


From  Left  to  Right:     Outdoor  Sub-station,  Switch  House,  Power  Plant  and  Breaker  House 

Page  Twenty-Eight 


Some  Interesting  Facts  About 
Riverside 

A  LIST  of  all  the  alternating  plants  in  the 
United  States  published  in  1891  shows 
the  total  combined  capacity  of  all  i)lants  in  ex- 
istence at  that  time  less  than  one-fourth  greater 
than  the  capacity  of  the  one  generating  unit 
now  in  operation  at  the  Riverside  power  plant. 

The  first  electric  plant  in  the  Tri-Cities 
built  by  the  Rock  Island  County  Brush  Elec- 
tric Company  was  a  22-light  machine.  If  all 
the  capacity  of  the  new  generator  were  used  for 
lights  as  was  done  with  the  first  22-light  ma- 
chine, the  Riverside  plant  could  light  500,000 
50-watt  lamps. 

If  the  entire  capacity  were  used  for  washing 
machines,  it  would  operate  120,000  machines; 
if  for  vacuum  cleaners,  it  would  operate  250,000. 
If  the  entire  capacity  were  used  for  home  con- 
sumption, it  would  provide  enough  electricity 
for  100,000  homes. 

The  Riverside  station  has  an  initial  installa- 
tion of  one  35,000  horse  power  turbo-generator 
unit  with  its  auxiliaries  and  complement  of 
four  boilers  and  a  building  to  house  this  equip- 
ment. The  installation  is  made  on  the  unit 
basis  so  that  as  the  industrial  growth  increases, 
the  necessary  capacity  can  be  added.  The  lay- 
out is  made  with  the  view  of  ultimately  having 
a  capacity  of  at  least  200,000  horse  power. 
The  building  stands  135  feet  high,  as  high  as 
the  highest  office  building  in  the  Tri-Cities. 
An  automatic  elevator  is  provided  for  the  use 
of  operators  in  going  from  floor  to  floor. 

The  rock  on  the  property  is  close  to  grade 
level,  eliminating  the  need  of  costly  foundations 
and  is  as  near  ideal  for  modem  power  plant  con- 


ilHI' 

■^ 

t; 

' 

g— » 

liuilt-r  liuum 

Kiverside 

I'otcer  Station 


Electricity  for 
500,000  Lamps 


Initial 

Unit 

35,000  H.  P. 


Building  os  High 

as  Highest  Office 

Building  in 

Tri-Cities 

Rock  175  Feet 
Deep 


Pag*  Tvenly-Nim 


FORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


Co7idenser 


Foundations 
Rise  32  Feet 

High 

Pressure  and 
Temperature  ' 


Outdoor 
Sub-station 


struction  as  it  is  possible  to  find.  Engineers 
drilled  175  feet  deep  and  still  found  limestone. 

The  turbo-generator  unit  rests  on  a  concrete 
foundation  reinforced  with  steel  and  anchored 
to  bed  rock.  This  foundation  rises  32  feet 
above  the  ground  and  will  hold  the  giant  tur- 
bine under  the  stress  of  thousands  of  horse 
power. 

The  pressure  of  the  steam  from  the  boilers  is 
425  pounds.  It  is  super-heated  250  degrees. 
The  total  temperature  of  the  steam  is  725 
degrees  Fahrenheit.  The  huge  turbine  and 
generator  weighing  hundreds  of  tons,  operate 
at  a  speed  of  1800  revolutions  per  minute. 
The  machine  is  so  perfectly  balanced  that  there 
is  not  so  much  as  a  ripple  in  a  glass  of  water 
placed  on  it.  If  the  section  of  the  turbine 
of  largest  diameter  were  rolling  on  the  ground 
like  a  wagon  wheel,  it  would  travel  at  the  rate 
of  570  miles  an  hour. 

High  steam  pressure  and  steam  tempera- 
ture are  important  features  of  large  modern 
stations,  resulting  in  great  efficiency  and  econ- 
omy. This  plant  will  operate  at  the  highest 
pressure  and  temperature  found  anywhere 
between  Chicago  and  the  Pacific  coast. 

The  turbo-generator  alone  weighs  788,000 
pounds,  and  cost  approximately  $350,000.00. 

The  generator  furnishes  electricity  at  13,200 
volts  Two  15,000  KVA  transformers  in  the 
outdoor  sub-station  step  up  the  voltage  to 
66,000  volts  for  transmission  to  distant  points. 

Switching  equipment  in  a  plant  of  this  char- 
acter has  an  important  function  to  perform  and 
has  been  very  carefully  selected  and  installed. 
At  time  of  short  circuit  on  the  generator  these 
switches  are  required  to  open  the  circuits  at  a 
load  of  approximately  400,000  horse  power. 


Page  Thirty 


Page  Thirty-One 


FORTY  YEARS   OF   DEVELOPMENT 


Looking  Down 
Belt  Conveyor 
from  Plant  to 
Breaker  House 


66,000  Volt 

Transmission 

Line 

Long  Span 
Construction 


The  River 
Span 


The  Cables 


--7^$^:^, 


One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the 
Riverside  project  is  the  66,000  volt  double 
circuit  transmission  line  between  the  Riverside 
station  and  the  plant  at  the  foot  of  Fourth 
Street,  Moline. 

The  new  line,  which  with  one  exception,  is 
the  largest  between  Chicago  and  the  Rocky 
mountains  is  required  to  transmit  all  energy 
generated  at  the  new  plant  to  the  Moline  sta- 
tion from  which  it  will  be  distributed  over  the 
existing  transmission  lines  to  Davenport,  Rock 
Island  and  East  Moline.  This  energy  is  gen- 
erated at  13,000  volts,  three-phase,  sixty-cycle 
and  is  stepped  up  to  66,000  volts  through  two 
15,000  kilowatt,  three-phase  transformers. 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  transmission 
line  is  the  long  span  construction  that  is  being 
carried  throughout  its  entire  length.  Begin- 
ning at  the  Riverside  station,  the  line  follows 
along  the  right  of  way  of  the  Clinton,  Daven- 
port and  Muscatine  interurban  railway  to  a 
point  just  west  of  Fifth  Street,  Bettendorf. 
The  spans  between  towers  on  the  C.  D.  &  M. 
are  approximately  1,000  feet. 

From  the  point  at  West  Fifth  Street,  the  line 
crosses  the  river  with  a  span  of  approximately 
1800  feet  from  the  Iowa  shore  to  a  tower  on 
Benhum's  island.  These  two  river  crossing 
towers  are  200  feet  high  and  the  conductors 
which  cross,  clear  the  water  at  the  time  of 
maximum  sag  by  sixty-five  feet,  required  by 
the  government  as  a  clearance  of  all  navigable 
rivers.  The  minimum  sag  of  the  conductors 
is  approximately  ninety-five  feet.  There  is  a 
total  of  30  towers  in  the  line,  four  of  which 
are  on  Arsenal  island. 

The  four  towers  on  the  island  are  127  feet 
high.  The  conductors  are  made  up  of  30 
strands  of  aluminum  with  a  steel  core  of  seven 
strands  and  the  total  diameter  is  74/100  of  an 


Page  Thirty-Two 


FORTY  YEARS  OF   DEVELOPMENT 


inch.  The  cable  has  an  ultimate  strength  of 
16,200  pounds  and  weighs  2,788  pounds  per 
mile.  A  total  of  approximately  92,000  pounds 
of  this  cable  was  required  for  the  two  circuits 
of  the  line. 

Coal  is  delivered  to  the  plant  from  the  Clin- 
ton, Davenport  and  Muscatine  Railway,  and 
provisions  have  also  been  made  for  unloading 
from  barges  when  river  transportation  proves 
economical. 

Around  the  plant  is  a  railroad  yard  where  an 
electric  switch  engine  receiving  current  from  a 
third  rail  is  in  service. 

Near  the  point  of  take-off  from  the  inter- 
urban  line,  a  railroad  track  scale  has  been  pro- 
vided so  as  to  weigh  all  coal  coming  into  the 
plant.  Four  main  spurs  facilitate  the  discharge 
of  the  coal  into  yard  storage,  for  which  there  is  a 
capacity  of  80,000  tons  at  the  present  time. 
This  storage  can  easily  be  increased  at  a  later 
date,  when  it  is  necessary  to  increase  the  facili- 
ties. 

Coal  for  immediate  use  is  dumped  into  a 
track  hopper  and  is  elevated  by  means  of  a  belt 
conveyor  36  inches  wide,  to  the  breaker  house, 
where  the  coal  is  crushed  and  then  transferred 
by  means  of  another  conveyor  to  the  bunkers 
located  in  the  boiler  room.  The  respective 
lengths  of  the  two  flights  of  belt  conveyors  are 
160  feet  and  320  feet.  The  Bradford  breaker 
will  crush  250  tons  of  coal  per  hour,  so  that  the 
largest  piece  will  pass  through  an  opening  1-1  4 
inches  in  diameter.  It  is  possible  to  store  a 
thousand  tons  of  coal  in  the  bunker  located 
above  the  boilers,  and  in  this  way,  it  is  only  ne- 
cessary to  unload  coal  for  a  few  hours  each  day. 

There  is  a  weighing  lorry,  and  all  coal  is 
weighed  as  it  goes  to  the  boilers.  There  is  a 
complete  installation  of  meters,  gauges  and  other 


Breaker  Housi 
Under  Con- 
struction, Show- 
ing Coal  Hopper 


Ra  ilroad 
Track 
Scale 


Coal 

Handling 

Machinery 


All  Coal 
Is  Weighed 


Page  Thirty-Three 


Section  of  Con- 
denser, Showing 
Open  Ends  of 
Thousands  of 
Tnbes 


5,600  Tubes 
in  Condenser 


'^dj 


Condensing 
Equipment 


Economizers 


FORTY  YEARS   OF   DEVELOPMENT^      ^^ 


measuring  apparatus  in  order  that  constant 
checks  may  be  made  to  see  that  the  plant  is 
operating  efficiently. 

The  four  great  boilers  rest  on  a  foundation  of 
concrete  28  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground. 
Automatic  under-feed  stokers  are  used.  The 
drums  of  the  boilers  alone  weigh  15  tons,  and  the 
plates  of  the  boilers  are  1-1/4  inches  in  thick- 
ness. The  boilers  are  constructed  to  withstand 
a  pressure  of  440  pounds.  Air  is  heated  before 
entering  the  combustion  chamber. 

The  stacks  of  the  plant  are  6-1/2  feet  in  diam- 
eter, and  are  in  sections  60  feet  in  length. 

In  order  to  get  the  maximum  energy  from  the 
steam,  it  is  desirable  to  maintain  nearly  a  per- 
fect vacuum  on  the  exhaust  discharge.  The 
condensing  equipment  creating  this  vacuum  is  a 
surface  condenser  equipped  with  35,000  square 
feet  of  condensing  surface.  A  great  amount  of 
cooling  water  is  required  to  perform  this  work, 
which  is  supplied  by  means  of  two  pumps, 
which  furnish  32,000  gallons  per  minute.  A 
total  of  46,000,000  gallons  of  water  per  twenty- 
four  hours  is  required,  and  is  more  than  four 
times  the  total  pumpage  per  day  of  waterworks 
in  the  Tri-Cities.  This  large  amount  of  water 
is  not  consumed,  but  is  simply  pumped  through 
the  equipment  and  is  warmed  a  few  degrees, 
after  which  it  is  returned  to  the  river. 

The  condenser  proper  weighs  110  tons.  It 
contains  5,600  tubes  of  1-inch  outside  diameter. 
Each  tube  is  20  feet  4  inches  long,  and,  if  placed 
end  to  end,  the  tubes  would  extend  a  distance 
of  23  miles. 

In  order  to  obtain  from  seven  to  eight  per 
cent  higher  efficiency  over  ordinary  straight 
condensing  operation,  provisions  have  been 
made  to  bleed  as  much  steam  as  can  be  used  to 
advantage  and  pass  as  little  steam  as  possible  to 


Page  Thirty-Four 


Page  Thirty-Five 


Auxiliary 

House 

Turbine 


Traveling 
Cranes 


Power 
700  Times 
Greater  Than 
First  Unit  in 
Tri-Cities 


FORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


the  condenser,  as  all  heat  entering  the  cooling 
water  and  passing  to  the  river  is  lost  for  useful 
work  in  the  plant.  Stage  heaters  extract  the 
steam  from  the  main  unit  from  four  different 
points  and  in  conjunction  with  a  high  pressure 
economizer  supply  water  to  the  boilers  at  a  tem- 
perature of  approximately  350  degrees  F.  The 
economizers  absorb  heat  from  the  waste  gases, 
leaving  the  boilers,  which  heat  is  ordinarily  lost . 
By  this  means  the  waste  gases  are  reduced  from 
600  to  325  degrees.  The  economizers  will  ef- 
ect  a  saving  in  coal  as  high  as  11.5  per  cent. 

For  operating  motors  and  electrical  equip- 
ment in  the  station  itself,  an  auxiliary  generator 
is  installed  having  the  capacity  to  serve  the  or- 
dinary needs  of  a  community  of  5,000  people. 

As  permanent  equipment  for  installing  and 
repairing  machinery,  there  are  two  great  travel- 
ing cranes,  one  with  110  tons  capacity  and  the 
other  35  tons. 

Just  one  interesting  comparison  will  tend  to 
show  how  great  has  been  the  span  of  develop- 
ment from  the  first  street-lighting  plant  in 
Rock  Island  to  this  great  central  station.  The 
first  plant  in  Rock  Island  contained  an  old- 
fashioned  walking  beam  steam  engine.  If  the 
old  engine  could  be  placed  alongside  of  the  new 
steam  turbine  in  the  Riverside  plant,  one  would 
never  guess  the  tremendous  difference  in  power. 
The  power  developed  by  the  turbine  is  about 
700  times  greater.  Imagine,  if  possible,  a  big 
cumbersome  walking  beam  engine  700  times  the 
size  of  the  one  in  the  old  Brush  plant.  Even  in 
our  present  age  of  steel  and  concrete  construc- 
tion, it  would  be  impossible  to  construct  a  build- 
ing large  enough  to  house  it.  The  comparison 
indicates  how  great  have  been  the  scientific  and 
engineering  developments  which  have  led  to 
such  an  increase  in  efficiency  and  to  such  great 
economies  in  floor  space  and  other  items  of  cost. 


Page  Thirty-Six 


'-l^'-rJt^ 


RTY  YEARS  OF   DEVELOPMENT 


_rrzil: 


Transmission  and  Distribution 


O 


^XE  characteristic  of  electrical  power  wiiich 
has  an  interesting  bearing  on  central-sta- 
tion enterprises  is  that  it  cannot  be  stored. 
This  is  not  literally  true,  because  you  are  famil- 
iar with  dry  batteries,  but  for  power  purposes 
batteries  are  not  practical. 

The  result  is  that  when  a  customer  of  our 
company  makes  a  "demand"  upon  us  by  turn- 
ing a  switch,  we  must  be  prepared  to  supply 
this  demand  instantaneously  and  must  likewise 
be  prepared  to  supply  all  of  the  simultaneous 
demands  of  all  customers.  The  service  must 
never  fail ;  it  must  go  on  every  minute  and  every 
hour — 24  hours  of  every  day. 

Unfortunately,  our  generating  stations  can- 
not make  up  in  advance  enough  electricity  to 
supply  all  of  our  customers  for  a  day  or  a  week 
or  a  month,  as  a  store  stocks  up  with  goods  in 
advance  of  its  customers'  demands.  This  very 
fact  requires  that  the  generating  stations,  trans- 
mission and  distribution  system  and  sub-station 
equipment  must  be  large  enough  to  deliver  huge 
amounts  of  electricity  for  the  dark  and  busy 
days  of  December,  even  though  during  the 
month  of  June,  when  the  days  are  long,  a  much 
smaller  plant  and  distribution  system  costing 
very  much  less  money  might  suffice. 

Similarly,  plant  and  equipment  must  be  large 
enough  to  take  care  of  the  heavy  demands  of  the 
late  afternoons  of  winter  months,  whereas, 
during  the  rest  of  the  day  and  night  only  a  small 
fraction  of  that  amount  of  electricity  would  be 
demanded.  The.se  highest  points  of  demand  are 
called  the  "peak  load",  and  it  is  this  peak  load 
that  determines  the  amount  of  generating  equip- 
ment and  the  capacity  of  the  sub-stations  and 
the  transmission  and  distribution  circuits. 


Span  AcroKx 
Misaissippi 


Electricity 

Cannot  Be 

Stored 


Service 

Every  Hour — 

2J^  Hours 

Every  Day 


Must  Be  Ready 

for  Peak  Load 

Demands 


Pagi  Thirty-Seren 


FORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


Outdoor  Sub- 
station at 
Riverside  Plant 


Power  Must 
Be  Adequately 
Controlled 

The 

Transmission 
and  Distributioji 
System 


Sub-stations 


Every  Precaution 
Taken  to 
Protect 
Service 


The  electricity  which  comes  from  the  gen- 
erators is,  of  course,  powerful,  and  it  must  be 
adequately  controlled.  This  is  accomplished 
by  means  of  extensive  and  complicated  switch- 
ing devices  and  other  items  of  equipment.  The 
equipment  at  the  Riverside  station  which  con- 
trols all  of  the  generator  switches  and  the 
switches  of  the  outgoing  circuits  is  located  in  a 
separate  building. 

Transmission  lines  radiate  from  the  generating 
stations  and  carry  electricity  to  sub-stations  at 
different  centers  of  distribution,  from  which 
points,  distribution  circuits  radiate  to  supply 
transformers  that  step  the  voltage  of  the  elec- 
tricity down  to  a  value  where  it  can  be  used  for 
general  lighting  and  power  purposes.  The  sub- 
stations in  this  community,  from  which  distrib- 
ution circuits  radiate,  are  located  at  the  follow- 
ing places: 

Foot  of  4th  St.,  Moline. 

23d  St.  and  2d  Ave.,  Rock  Island. 

Sears  Water  Power  Plant,  Rock  Island. 

825  15th  Ave.,  East  Moline. 

3d  St.  and  Pershing  Ave.,  Davenport. 

1125  W.  2d  St.,  Davenport. 

These  sub-stations  are  all  connected  with 
transmission  lines  called  tie  lines,  and  it  is  over 
these  lines  that  the  sub-stations  are  supplied 
with  electricity.  Electricity,  which  is  gen- 
erated at  the  Moline  plant  is  fed  directly  into 
this  transmission  system,  but  the  electricity 
which  is  generated  at  the  Riverside  station  is 
transmitted  to  Moline  over  the  66,000  volt  line 
and  is  stepped  down  through  transformers  to 
13,200  volts  and  fed  into  the  transmission  tie 
lines  which  are  that  voltage. 

As  new  units  are  added  in  Riverside  station, 
other  transmission  lines  will  radiate  from  it  to 
supply  electricity  directly  to  the  East  Moline 
and  the  Davenport  sub-stations.     These  will  be 


Page  Thirty-Eight 


-^--:i^ 


YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


needed  to  supply  the  increased  load  and  will 
provide  duplicate  service  to  these  sub-stations 
that  are  already  inter-connected  to  the  generat- 
ing stations  by  tie  lines.  Duplicate  tie  lines  are 
provided  so  that  sub-stations  have  two  means 
of  receiving  a  supply  of  power. 

Each  sub-station  has  from  eight  to  twelve  dis- 
tribution circuits  radiating  from  it,  and  each 
circuit  supplies  a  different  territory.  The  dis- 
tribution circuits  are  of  three  different  classes, 
and  each  has  its  particular  characteristics  which 
make  it  best  suited  to  serve  the  kind  of  load 
that  it  does.  Power  circuits  are  4800  volt,  2- 
phase.  The  circuits  which  supply  commercial 
and  residential  lighting  load  are  2300  volt, 
single-phase.  The  street  lighting  is  served  by 
constant  current  series  circuits,  the  voltage  on 
which  usually  varies  from  2000  to  5000  volts, 
depending  on  the  number  and  size  of  the  lamps 
in  the  circuit. 

These  different  voltages  on  the  various 
classes  of  circuits  are  necessary,  and  their 
selection  for  the  particular  service  for  which 
they  are  used  depends  on  the  amouut  of 
load  that  is  to  be  earned  on  each  circuit.  The 
normal  load  per  circuit  varies  from  250  KW  on 
the  2300  volt  circuits  to  20,000  KW  on  the  66,- 
000  volt  circuits.  Where  large  loads  are  to  be 
carried,  the  voltage  must  be  high  enough  to  pre- 
vent too  great  a  variation  in  voltage  between 
the  "peak  load"  and  the  light  load  due  to  volt- 
age drop  caused  by  the  resistance  of  the  con- 
ductors and  the  electric  current  flowing  through 
them.  Also,  when  the  voltage  is  high,  the 
losses  in  the  line  are  less  with  a  given  load  than 
they  would  be  if  the  voltage  were  lower.  If 
lower  Voltages  were  used,  larger  conductors 
would  be  necessary,  but  the  cost  would  be  i)r()- 
hibitive  and  the  streets  would  be  badly  con- 
gested with  pole  lines. 


Transmission 

Line  from  Searn 

Water  Power 

Plant 


Three  Classes 
of  Circuits 


Different 

Voltages 

Required 


Page  Thirty-Sine 


Tf^^ 


FORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


Disconnecting 
Switches  in 
Outdoor 
Sub-station  at 
Moline 


Distance 

an  Important 

Factor 


Territory 
Conditions 


Underground 
Circuits  Costly 


The  distance  that  energy  is  to  be  transmit- 
ted directly  influences  the  selection  of  the  volt- 
age to  the  same  extent  as  the  amount  of  the  load 
to  be  carried.  These  facts  had  an  important 
bearing  on  the  selection  of  66,000  volts  as  the 
voltage  of  the  lines  between  Riverside  and 
Moline.  A  study  of  the  economies  of  different 
voltages  was  made  when  the  project  was  being 
planned  and  66,000  volts  was  selected  because 
it  would  be  most  economical  for  a  Tri-City 
transmission  system.  Lines  at  this  voltage 
will  be  extended  to  serve  nearby  communities 
and  to  connect  with  lines  of  adjoining  systems. 
When  trunk  lines  are  built  to  connect  with  other 
large  power  centers,  these  trunk  lines  will  be 
designed  for  132,000  volts. 

An  important  item  that  enters  into  the  selec- 
tion of  the  voltage  of  distribution  lines  is  the 
territory  in  which  they  are  to  be  built  and 
maintained.  Lower  voltage  lines  are  less  sub- 
ject to  trouble  from  trees  than  the  higher  volt- 
age lines  and  the  first  cost  of  equipment  varies 
as  a  direct  proportion  to  the  voltage  so  that  the 
lower  voltage  lines  are  used  to  serve  loads  with- 
in urban  territories  wherever  possible.  As  the 
demands  for  electricity  increase  within  urban 
territories,  it  is  necessary  to  build  lines  of  higher 
voltages  to  supply  these  demands  or  increase 
the  number  of  circuits  and  also  add  to  the 
number  of  sub-stations.  In  some  of  the  largest 
cities,  the  loads  have  become  so  dense  that  it 
has  been  found  necessary  to  build  distribution 
lines  of  higher  voltages,  such  as  the  voltage  of 
tie  lines  that  we  have  between  our  sub-stations. 

Pole  lines  occupied  jointly  by  electric  lines 
and  telephone  lines  are  often  desirable  in  cities 
in  order  to  keep  the  number  of  pole  lines  to  a 
minimum  and  wherever  possible  these  joint 
lines  are  built.  Underground  circuits  are  used 
in  certain  commercial  districts  but  the  exten- 


Page  Forty 


\RS  or   DEVELOPMENT 


sive  or  general  use  of  underground  lines  would 
necessitate  tremendous  investments  which 
would  unduly  increase  the  cost  and  charges 
for  electric  service. 

The  distribution  circuits  which  serve  light- 
ing and  power  loads  require  transformers  to 
step  the  voltage  down  to  the  service  voltage, 
which  is  115  volts  in  the  case  of  lighting  and 
440  volts  for  power.  These  transformers  must 
be  designed  to  withstand  all  kinds  of  weather 
conditions  since  they  are  installed  on  the  pole 
lines  nearest  the  loads  which  they  serve. 

Ever>'  transformer  installation  must  be  pro- 
vided with  fused  switches  to  protect  it  from  over 
load  and  with  lightning  arresters  to  protect  it 
from  bum-outs  due  to  lightning.  Such  appa- 
rently small  items  as  clearance  from  trees  must 
be  carefully  observed  in  the  construction  and 
maintenance  of  overhead  distribution  circuits 
in  order  that  the  circuits  will  not  be  subject  to 
interruption  during  storms.  A  great  many  im- 
provements have  been  made  in  equipment  and 
protective  devices  so  that  at  the  present  time 
ver\'  few  interruptions  occur  on  well-main- 
tained transmission  and  distribution  lines. 

Great  and  impressive  as  a  large  modern  gen- 
erating station  may  be,  there  are  far  greater 
problems  and  a  larger  investment  in  the  trans- 
mission and  distribution  systems. 

The  cost  of  producing  electricity  at  the  plant 
is  only  one-fifth  to  one-half  of  its  total  cost  de- 
livered at  the  customer's  premises.  The  elec- 
tricity is  u.seless  without  transformers,  sub-sta- 
tions, transmission  and  distribution  lines,  me- 
ters and  other  distribution  equipment.  All  this 
means  investment  charges,  maintenance  and 
depreciation.  Trouble  men  must  be  ready  at 
instant's  notice  to  fight  damage  from  wind  and 
storm  that  your  service  may  be  continuous. 


(Jiiinl  Trunt- 
(ormrr  in  Out- 

,/,i..r   ^utt-nUttiim 


Protecting 
Equipment 


Cost  of 

Electricity 

at  Station 

Only  a  Small 

Part 


Pagt  Forty-Ont 


FORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


Aeroplane  View 
Over  Mississippi 
at  Tri-Cities 


A  Humari 

Service 


More  Than 
a  Business 


The  Social 
Side 


Responsibilities  and  Opportunities 

FOR  those  who  hve  in  it,  the  four  walls  of 
a  house  do  not  make  a  home  with  all  it 
stands  for  as  a  human  institution.  Neither 
do  materials,  machinery  and  equipment  make 
electric  service.  Both  are  physical,  material 
necessities. 

The  home  is  a  human  institution  based  on 
human  ties,  loyalty  and  a  spirit  of  unity.  A 
public  utility  is  also  a  human  institution.  It 
requires  men  and  women — loyal,  dependable, 
self-sacrificing  men  and  women  who  are  willing 
to  accept  the  responsibility  of  service  and  do 
their  work  thoroughly  and  faithfully. 

A  public  utility  is  more  than  a  business.  It 
is  an  organization  chartered,  franchised  and 
maintained  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  a 
service  which  is  necessary  to  the  comfort,  pros- 
perity and  happiness  of  all  the  people. 

The  affairs  of  a  public  utility  must  be  con- 
ducted in  a  businesslike  manner.  The  com- 
pany must  prosper — if  it  is  to  be  able  to  do  its 
job  in  the  best  and  most  satisfactory  manner 
— if  the  interests  of  the  community  are  to  be 
fostered  and  safeguarded  by  efficient,  depend- 
able electric,  gas  and  street  railway  service. 
But  above  and  beyond  the  businesslike  con- 
duct of  the  enterprise,  a  public  utility  must  do 
its  work  with  the  truest  and  broadest  spirit  of 
serving  the  public  interest  first,  last,  and  all 
the  time.  That  is  the  rock-bottom  doctrine 
of  the  electric  utility  industry  today. 

People  who  even  twenty  years  ago  did  not 
expect  many  of  the  comforts  of  life  and  certain- 
ly did  not  aspire  to  the  luxuries,  today  use 
electric  service  as  a  regular  part  of  their  daily 
routine.  They  expect  to  have  it  just  as  much 
as  they  expect  to  have  food  and  they  have  a 


Page  Forty-Two 


rijiht  to  have  it.  a  human  riKhl.  and  an  et-o- 
nomic  ri^ht.  It  is  because  the  public-  utilities 
have  reeo^nized  this  human  ri^^ht.  and  the  social 
service  and  the  social  value  of  their  work,  that 
they  have  made  new  records  year  by  year  in 
improved  methods,  larger  machinery,  higher 
voltage  transmission,  greater  efficiencies  and 
economies  all  along  the  line.  All  this  to  one 
purpose  that  the  electric  service  might  he 
most  widely  available,  and  most  generally  use- 
ful at  the  lowest  possible  price. 

Electricity  is  actually  lengthening  the  lives 
of  our  wives  and  mothers  through  reducing 
the  burdens  of  care  and  drudgery  in  the  home. 
More  than  this,  electricity  is  giving  mothers 
a  chance  to  put  first  things  first,  to  devote  more 
of  their  lives  to  children  when  care  and  attention 
mean  most. 

When  .John  Deere  moved  from  Clrand  de 
Tour  to  Moline  in  1847,  power  was  an  import- 
ant factor  in  causing  him  to  decide  to  make 
this  move,  which  has  meant  so  much  to  the 
Tri-Cities.  Today,  when  you  say  industry, 
you  say  power,  and  when  you  say  power,  you 
.say  electricity.  The  future  prosperity  of  this 
community  depends  on  power  electricity.  Fu- 
ture supremacy  among  other  communities  de- 
pends on  ample  and  certain  supply  of  power — 
more  and  more  power  for  bigger  factories  and 
new  factories,  always  available,  as  and  when 
needed. 

Stop  the  flow  of  electric  energy  and  the  wheels 
of  our  great  factories  cea.se  turning,  leaving 
idle  thou.sands  of  men  and  women.  Inventive 
genius,  enterprise  and  the  freedom  of  private 
initiative  have  made  our  great  electric  service 
possible  and  devised  the  many  ways  of  apply- 
ing it  to  human  tasks.  Motor-driven  machin- 
ery  makes  the  worker's   task    easier   and    his 


i 

■ 

r 


lirtUr  Homt 
Lighting  Swta 

Eyrfight  and 
Heipx  Miiki  n 


A  New 

and  Better 
Hi.mf  Life 


Fouer  and 
Industry 


Page  forly-Thret 


Page  Forty-Four 


FORTY  YXARS  OF  DEVELOPMFNT 


pay-check  bi^^er  because  he  produces  more. 
It  makes  the  manufacturer's  expense  lower,  his 
factory  output  higher,  and  reduces  prices  on 
manufactured  product.s. 

As  previously  mentioned,  it  nii^du  have  been 
possible  to  do  without  the  building  of  the  Riv'er- 
side  plant  for  a  short  time,  but  the  company  felt 
it  owed  it  to  the  community  to  have  the  power 
ready  when  the  demand  comes.  The  company 
also  hius  such  great  faith  in  the  future  of  the 
community  that  plans  are  made  and  a  lay-out 
provided  for  building  extensions  which  will 
several  times  multiply  the  present  capacity. 

The  combined  advantages,  resources,  manu- 
factures and  population  of  all  the  cities  making 
up  the  Tri-City  community  make  it  one  of  the 
greatest  communities  in  the  Middle  West.  In 
considering  the  development  of  only  one  of  the 
cities  of  this  great  group,  the  importance  of  the 
community  as  a  whole  is  sometimes  overlooked. 
The  Tri-City  community  has  the  greatest  wealth, 
population  and  resources  of  any  community  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Omaha,  and  between  Min- 
neapolis and  St.  Louis. 

The  development  of  electricity  as  a  regional 
service  extending  to  all  the  cities  of  the  Tri-City 
group  extends  back  to  1888,  almost  the  begin- 
ning of  electricity,  when  the  first  transmission 
line  was  extended  to  Davenport  from  the  Mo- 
line  plant.  Without  the  regional  service,  the 
present  development  of  electricity  in  the  Tri- 
Cities  would  not  have  been  possible.  As  in  the 
past,  the  electrical  development  of  the  Tri- 
Cities  and  the  industrial  growth  as  well  will 
depend  in  the  future  upon  the  development  of 
the  Tri-City  community  as  one  great  power 
and  industrial  center. 

The  regional  development  of  electric  service 
is  becoming  wider  and  wider.     Throughout  the 


Thf  WhiU  Way, 
liock  Is'.anJ 


Building  with 
Faith  i)i  the 
Community 


Importance 

of  the 

Tri-City 

Community 


Electricity 

a  Regional 

Service 


Electrical 
Systems 


Page  Forty-Fire 


Page  Forty-Six 


entire  country  there  are  (ifVflopin^j  electrical 
systems.  To  meet  the  electrical  needs  of  today, 
and.  still  more  ini|>(»rtant.  the  ntH:'ds  of  the  fu- 
ture, greater  sources  of  low  cost  power  are 
required  than  individual  i)lant.s  and.  in  many 
c;ises.  hi.eirer  agencies  than  individual  com- 
panies. The  electrical  .system  is  takinj^  the 
place  of  the  individual  electrical  company. 
The.se  may  be  formed  of  companies  indepen- 
dently tiwntHJ,  but  lussociated  to^'ether  by 
operating  agreement's  for  the  interchange  of 
power,  or  they  may  be  grouj)s  of  companies 
under  common  ownership. 

The  demand  for  electric  service  is  not  con- 
fined to  cities.  It  comes  from  small  communi- 
ties, villages  and  hamlets,  and  from  farms  as 
well  as  from  factories.  Transmission  and  dis- 
tribution lines  are  making  a  network  covering 
whole  states. 

This  development  of  electrical  systems  is 
frequently  called  "Super-Power".  In  the  ex- 
tension of  Super-Power  systems  over  wider 
areas,  the  early  construction  of  large  and  very 
economical  power  stations  and  the  maximum 
use  of  potential  water  powers  are  made  pos- 
sible. In  the  Super- Power  developments  of 
the  future,  the  Tri-City  community  is  strate- 
gically l(x-ated  to  become  a  great  power  cen- 
ter. In  maps  of  the  Middle  West  made  in 
connection  with  recent  Super- Power  surveys, 
the  Tri-C'ity  community  is  shown  linked  up 
with  other  power  centers  by  trunk  transmission 
lines,  which  are  to  carry  great  blocks  of  power 
at  very  high  voltages. 

A  map  showing  the.se  contemplated  power 
centers  and  trunk  transmission  lines  is  shown  in 
this  booklet  It  will  be  .seen  from  this  map  how 
important  is  the  position  of  the  Tri-Cities  with 
reference  to  other  centers  such  as  Des  Moines 
and  Chicago.     It  al.so  indicates  how  wide  may 


Klrrtric  f'tirnnrr 

at  Ximmrrmun 

SUflPlanlAtMtr 

Hrtlrnd;rf 


Demand 

Outside 

Cities 


Super- Power 


Tin  Tri-Cities 

a  Power 

( 'enter 


f'agt  Furtn-Strrn 


View  of  Velie 
Automobile 
Plant,  Showing 
Electric  Motors 
and  Lights 


What  the 

Future 

Holds 


FORTY  YEARS  OF  DEVELOPMENT 


be  the  region  served  with  electricity  from  Tri- 
City  power  stations. 

The  opening  of  the  Riverside  Power  Plant  is 
the  forerunner  of  probable  developments  greater 
than  most  of  us  can  now  imagine.  As  one  of  the 
most  modern  power  stations  in  the  country,  it 
puts  the  Tri-Cities  in  an  exceptionally  strong 
position  for  becoming  a  greater  trade  and  indus- 
trial center,  and  for  the  development  of  more 
and  better  homes. 

Whether  the  Tri-City  community  measures 
up  to  its  fullest  possibilities  and  opportunities, 
will  depend  on  how  well  it  pulls  together  as 
one  great  community  to  attract  more  and  big- 
ger industries  and  greater  trade,  and  to  build 
more  and  better  homes. 


Page  Forty-Eight 


